In Abuja, President Bola Tinubu ceremoniously swore in Nigerian senators into the ECOWAS parliament on Thursday.
Among those inaugurated were Deputy Senate President Barau Jibril and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Kogi Central, among other notable figures.
Thursday’s inauguration at the International Conferences Centre saw representatives from parliamentarians of other ECOWAS nations, diplomats, and high-ranking government officials in attendance.
President Tinubu, also serving as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, oversaw the inauguration of the lawmakers into the sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS parliament.
Senator Natasha and other recently elected representatives for the sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament solemnly swore their oath of office during the inaugural session.
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The ECOWAS Parliament is one of the institutions of ECOWAS established by the ECOWAS Treaty of May 28, 1975, signed in Lagos, Nigeria.
The treaty was revised in July 1993 and signed in Abidjan and it is what is currently in use.
The ECOWAS Parliament consists of 115 representatives hailing from the 15-member nations, among them Nigeria.
Nigeria secures a significant portion of this allocation, with 35 slots distributed among its representatives, comprising 17 Senators and 18 Honourable members. Following closely is Ghana, with eight seats designated to its delegation.
Godswill Akpabio, serving as the President of the Senate, is responsible for forwarding the roster of the Nigerian Delegation to both the President of the ECOWAS Commission and the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Furthermore, the Deputy President of the Senate takes on the responsibility of spearheading the Nigerian Delegation to the 6th ECOWAS Parliament.
Members’ tenure of office spans four years, commencing from the date of their inauguration.